Novel ligands of steroid hormone receptors

The development of novel ligands for steroid hormone receptors has become a burgeoning field with tremendous potential in numerous human therapies. No vel structures offer the advantage of greatly improved proprietary position , as well as the potential for highly selective compounds with fewer side e ffects and reduced metabolic liabilities. This opinion details the recent p rogress in the area of non-steroidal ligands of the principal steroid recep tors. Published intellectual property associated with established areas suc h as oestrogen and androgen receptors have been updated, and new patents de tailing ligands for progesterone, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid rece ptors are also discussed. A wide variety of structures are disclosed along with data in comparison with steroidal references. These novel structural f amilies have strong potential, and these compounds will likely grow into co mplementary pharmacophores of defined function and enhanced therapeutic uti lity.